I'll keep trying if the club will have me back. Maybe repetition of the
message with something new and unusual each time will get through.
I remember two presentations at the club I was in in the late 60's. One
was by Katashi Nose, KH6IJ, who demonstrated some 10 GHz equipment and
antennas he'd made out of little metal ashtrays. Another was by a man who
wasn't a ham but demonstrated laser communication equipment. He even had
certificates for the S.A.S.S.O.L. - Society of Adventurous Souls who have
Spoken Over a Laser !!!
The point is that these impressed me and stuck in my mind even to this
day. I'm hoping I can impress at least one or two people along the line
each year who eventually decide to try out VHF+ weak-signal work.
73, Zack W9SZ
On Wed, 28 Feb 2007, Jim Worsham wrote:
> Yeah, this makes me remember the time that I was at a local radio club
> meeting. This guy rushes in with a laptop during the meeting and starts
> telling everyone how they just installed APRS at the local Red Cross
> building and how you can see the location of the building on a map on the
> internet. You should have seen how everyone ohed and ahed. These are the
> same guys that when I gave a presentation a few months earlier on VHF+ weak
> signal acted like they could have cared less. I left the meeting and never
> went to another.
>
> 73
> Jim, W4KXY
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: vhfcontesting-bounces@contesting.com
> [mailto:vhfcontesting-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Dan_K9ZF
> Sent: Wednesday, February 28, 2007 3:06 PM
> To: John Geiger; VHF Contesting eMail Remailer
> Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] indoor antennas on 50 MHz
>
> Hi John,
> I've always wondered that about APRS. I was pretty heavy into packet back
> in the 90's, but when Internet e-mail became popular everyone kind of lost
> interest in packet. I considered getting into APRS some years ago.
> Computers have always been a hobby of mine as well, so it only seems natural
> to combine the two...
>
> So if I put all that time, effort, and money, into APRS and get a station on
> the air, then what? Yep, like watching paint dry. That's not for me.
>
> The most interesting thing I've seen related to APRS is W2EV's HamIM.
> Now that has potential to be interesting.
>
> Anyway, the point I was trying to make with my post is it's hard to get new
> people interested if they turn on the rig and never hear anyone.
> And around here, and I'm sure you can relate to this as well, unless it's a
> contest weekend chances are you aren't going to hear anyone.
> Yeah, you can make contacts if you get on and call enough but they are few
> and far between. Compromise antennas will make it even more difficult, and
> new people are more likely to listen than to call CQ.
> And heaven forbid they should accidentally call CQ in the wrong part of the
> band!...
>
> Combine that with most of the folks around here are "contest haters" and
> it's difficult to get new people started. I hope someday I will be able to
> put together a decent home station so I can invite people over to contest
> with me...
>
> Loops and dipoles have their place. I have used them many times while
> Roving. But I wouldn't recommend them to new people unless they had no
> other choice.
>
> 73
> Dan
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